Chapter 18: You Took My Things

Jiang Ning stood by, not rushing to speak.

It was a coincidence that she ran into Meng Yuanbin at the guesthouse at noon, and now they bumped into each other again at the department store.

Meng Yuanbin was clearly the “Brother Meng” the girl was referring to. He was walking two steps behind the girl in her high heels, his handsome face carrying a smile that was half-gentle and half-indulgent.

However, the next second, he noticed that he had bumped into someone he knew, and it was Jiang Ning. He couldn’t help but look at her twice, then frowned slightly.

The young girl, hearing the saleswoman say that, was obviously unhappy.

She immediately wanted to open the lipstick and try it on her lips, saying to herself, “My skin is fair, this color suits me so well, what do you think, Brother Meng…”

Lu Dingquan remained expressionless, his brows furrowed.

Jiang Ning also smiled helplessly, but she never relied on others to stand up for her. She reached out and took the lipstick that the other girl was about to open.

“Hey! What are you doing?” The girl immediately became anxious, only then turning her head to notice Jiang Ning standing by the counter.

Jiang Ning looked at the lipstick in her hand, confirming that it hadn’t been opened, before looking directly at the other girl:

“You took my things.”

The stylish girl frowned and looked her up and down, confirming that although her clothes were bright, they were cheap. She then looked at the tall man in military uniform beside her, noticing his deep aura, but he was just a soldier, she didn’t care.

She tilted her chin slightly and laughed: “Things in the department store, not yet off the counter, how can you say it’s yours? I think the standards of this department store are getting lower and lower, why do we always encounter people who don’t understand the rules?”

This girl had previously taken the lipstick off the counter without any regard for others, Jiang Ning had let it slide. But now she was saying these things, she felt the other girl was simply stupid.

Jiang Ning just smiled slightly, but not at her, but at the saleswoman:

“Sister, the money and goods are settled, please give me a copy of the slip, otherwise someone here might think the department store is her family’s, and she has no manners and is randomly opening other people’s things.”

The girl’s face changed, her brows furrowed, and she raised her voice to rebuke: “Who are you talking about? I think you’re the one with no manners. This is a state-owned department store, how can anyone just barge in!”

Jiang Ning didn’t get angry at all, a surprised smile on her lips: “Yeah, how can anyone just barge in? Isn’t there someone opening other people’s things and yelling? I’m really curious!”

She wouldn’t argue with someone, and this girl was really stupid. With that tone, one might think she was a king or a god. She simply smiled and countered directly, not getting angry at all.

The saleswomen in the department store had seen all sorts of people.

She guessed that this stylish girl had a big temper and probably came from a good family, but so what? What year was it now?

The saleswoman was unhappy with them arguing in front of her counter. She gave the slip to Jiang Ning and said coldly to the stylish girl: “Hey, hey, I told you, the lipstick was bought by that girl, how can you just open other people’s things and still be right?”

“Alright, if you want to buy something, keep looking, if you don’t, leave as soon as possible. Don’t you know where this is? No noise allowed!”

Meng Yuanbin had been frowning silently, feeling awkward. Now he couldn’t stand it anymore and hurried over to protect the girl:

“Sasha, how did you suddenly start arguing? Don’t be afraid, we’re all reasonable people, if anything happens, I’ll handle it.”

Only now did Jiang Ning seem to notice Meng Yuanbin, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.

Meng Yuanbin was also surprised, recognizing the two people in front of him: “Jiang Ning, I thought I recognized you… You and Factory Director Lu?”

“What a coincidence, haha, we all know each other. I think it’s a misunderstanding.”

The stylishly dressed girl was named Zhou Mansha, the daughter of Secretary Zhou, who had promoted Meng Yuanbin.

Jiang Ning saw Meng Yuanbin’s eager attitude and roughly understood what was going on.

The young girl in front of her should be the daughter of Secretary Zhou, one of the minor female characters around Meng Yuanbin. She didn’t actually appear in the story.

But later, when Meng Yuanbin was flirting with the female lead, the female lead had mentioned in a jealous tone: “I remember, back then, Secretary Zhou’s daughter was completely infatuated with you. And the professor’s daughter was also jealous of you, you really have a lot of tricks up your sleeve…”

She just didn’t expect that Meng Yuanbin had just taken office and was already getting close to the secretary’s daughter.

Zhou Mansha saw that Meng Yuanbin actually knew these two people, and her eyes rolled with arrogance. She crossed her arms: “Brother Meng, you know them? What kind of people are they, are you close to them?”

She noticed that Meng Yuanbin’s gaze lingered on Jiang Ning’s face for a few seconds, and she couldn’t help but feel wary.

Jiang Ning smiled slightly at Meng Yuanbin: “Meng Zhiqing, is that really you? You’re… accompanying your girlfriend to the department store?”

Meng Yuanbin’s face froze, and he calmly explained: “Jiang Ning, don’t talk nonsense. This is the daughter of Secretary Zhou, our propaganda department secretary. I’m just accompanying Miss Zhou to take care of some things.”

Jiang Ning lightly sighed, her eyes ambiguous: “Then we won’t bother you two with your business.”

She knew now, in a period drama, this male lead could be explained away through a layer of screen filter, saying that it wasn’t his fault for being a flirt, it was just because he was too charming and talented.

But if it was in real life, if she saw the male lead surrounded by women, she would really feel disgusted.

Not taking the initiative, not rejecting, not denying, towards all the girls who could be used, wasn’t that just a central air conditioner, a sea king?

If he was really that handsome and had charisma, then fine, he could be a sea king. It was between him and the girls, a mutual agreement.

But this Meng Yuanbin in this derivative world was obviously different from the big male lead in the story.

To say he was handsome, he was just barely passable.

But to say he had that kind of “mistake for a lifetime at first sight” extraordinary aura, he hadn’t cultivated it yet.

Thinking about it, so many girls were still flocking to him like moths to a flame, willing to be his stepping stones and white moons, it was a bit far-fetched.

Jiang Ning looked at Meng Yuanbin with indifferent eyes, just sighing in her heart.

She was now off her original track and was no longer a fish in his pond. His fate and development had nothing to do with her.

The two sides only stood there for a few short seconds. Jiang Ning raised her head and said to Lu Dingquan: “Let’s go then, I still want to go downstairs and have a look.”

Lu Dingquan’s face was still calm, his expression unreadable, but his gaze fell on Meng Yuanbin opposite him, nodding lightly.

Meng Yuanbin felt slightly awkward.

After all, everyone knew that Jiang Ning had done that embarrassing thing in the countryside to get close to him.

In the end, it was Lu who ended up being the unlucky one.

Meng Yuanbin had always felt a little guilty towards him, feeling like he had passed on the burden to him. As a man, he knew what that feeling was like.

But…

The couple in front of him, the man tall and straight, and Jiang Ning, who was already naturally beautiful, was no longer wearing strange makeup on her face, revealing her original clear and jade-like oval face, looking exceptionally delicate and charming, almost like a different person.

They… were somehow inexplicably well-matched.